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FEMA flood zones · Colorado

Baca County, Colorado Flood Zone Map

4 federal flood & hurricane disasters

Less than 1% of Baca County’s area is in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones.

Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.

Coastal high risk (V, VE)FloodwayHigh risk (A, AE)Moderate (X, 500-year)Minimal (X)Undetermined (D)

Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Baca County, Colorado. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.

In their words

1 NOAA storm reports from Baca County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →

Federal disasters

11 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.

DisasterBegan
Severe Storms, Flooding, And TornadoesJun 8, 2023
Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And MudslidesMay 4, 2015
SnowDec 28, 2006
Hurricane Katrina EvacuationAug 29, 2005
WildfiresApr 23, 2002
Severe Winter StormsApr 11, 2001
Severe Storms, Heavy Rain, Flash Floods, Flooding, MudslidesJul 28, 1997
DroughtJan 29, 1977

Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.

Recorded flood events

11 since 1996: 10 flash floods and 1 river or area floods.

EventDateDamage
Flash FloodAug 29, 2025—
Flash FloodJul 31, 2021—
Flash FloodJul 29, 2014—
Flash FloodJul 26, 2014—
Flash FloodAug 7, 2014—
Flash FloodJul 9, 2006—
Flash FloodJul 5, 2002—
FloodJul 26, 1998—

— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

From the storm reports

Flash Flood · Aug 29, 2025. Heavy, 2-3 inches of rainfall led to some flash flooding in the vicinity of Walsh.

Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2021. The combination of the monsoon plume and moist low level upslope flow allowed for thunderstorms with heavy rainfall and flash flooding to occur on this day across the region. The highest concern for flash flooding was over the mountains and I-25 corridor region, but later in the evening, additional flash flooding occurred along and south of Highway 50.

Flash Flood · Jul 29, 2014. Numerous strong, slow-moving storms caused flash flooding across Kiowa, Bent, Prowers, and Baca Counties.

Flash Flood · Jul 26, 2014. Strong, slow moving storms produced heavy rain and flash flooding across portions of Bent, Baca, and Prowers Counties. Many roads were flooded and washed out.

National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

The zones you’ll see on the map

Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.

Cross-section of a river floodplainDiagram: a river valley. The floodway is the channel and the land beside it; the 1%-annual-chance flood surface (the base flood elevation) covers the valley floor as zone A or AE; a narrow band higher up is shaded X, the 0.2% floodplain; higher ground is X.0.2% CHANCE A YEAR (500-YEAR)BASE FLOOD ELEVATION · 1% A YEARXAEFloodwayAEX
  1. A / AE Inside the 1%-a-year floodplain: about a 26% chance of flooding over a 30-year mortgage. AE has a mapped base flood elevation; plain A does not.
  2. Floodway The channel and the land beside it that has to be kept clear enough to carry the flood. Building here is tightly limited.
  3. X shaded The 0.2% (500-year) floodplain, plus some levee-protected and very shallow flood areas.
  4. X Outside both lines. No federal requirement to insure, which is not the same as no risk.

Every flood zone code explained →

Flood insurance in Baca County

If a building in Baca County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.

Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.